THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

was August 25, when its twelve pilots shot down
twelve enemy aircraft, out of a large formation,
without any loss to themselves, in the region of Dor-
chester. (How the ancient warriors who sleep in the
shade of Maiden Castle, that colossal earthwork of
three thousand years ago, would have marvelled at
the strange, new mode of warfare in their sky!) It
had another day of triumph on October 29, when it
engaged a formation of fifty Messerschmitt log's
over Kent at a height of six miles and shot down
eight of them. No. 602 squadron has destroyed more
than a hundred enemy aircraft in all.
The City of Edinburgh squadron, No. 603, has
about the same record as the Glasgow squadron. It
also has destroyed a hundred enemy aircraft. To
this squadron fell the honour of bringing down the
first German aircraft to be destroyed off the coast of
Great Britain—on October 16, 1939. I* won the dis-
tinction by a very short head from its Scottish rival,
No. 602 squadron, which brought down the second
enemy aircraft just a quarter of an hour later. No.
602 squadron, it may be added, also attacked and
disabled the first enemy aircraft forced to land on
British soil—on October 29, 1939; and again—
mark how the two cities vie with one another—it was
No. 603 squadron which gave the 'final count' to the
Heinkel bomber concerned. A Yorkshire Auxiliary
squadron has also a big score to its credit. It has
fought at Dunkirk, in the Channel battles and in de-
fence of London and of the cities of the south and
west. No. 601 (County of London) Auxiliary Air
Force squadron has also a splendid record; ten Dis-
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